How Does Eating Green Salad Helps
Here Are Benefits Of Eating Green Salads
There are hundreds of varieties of salads. However, the most nutritious of them all are the green salads. As the name suggests, green salads are salads consisting chiefly of lettuce and other fresh green vegetables. The nutritional value of salad greens depends primarily on its ingredients. The ones with red and/or darker green leaves are generally higher in nutrients and vitamins. There can be several types of greens you can use including:
- Green leaf
- ArugulaRomaineIceberg
- SpinachCurly endive
- Belgian endive
- Escarole
- Watercress
Benefits Of Eating Green Salads
Health experts and nutritionists also recommend that adults should incorporate two to three cups of vegetables and one and a half to two cups of fruits to their diet every day. Here are a few health benefits of eating salad greens.
1. Rich in Vitamin A
Vitamin A plays a crucial role for our eye health, immunity, growth, reproduction, and cell division. A 100 gram serving of romaine or red and green lettuce helps in providing a person more than twice the amount of Vitamin A than they need everyday.
2. Protects the brain
According to research, people who ate leafy green vegetables daily had better brain health than those who did not. The rate of cognitive decline for these people who ate the most leafy greens was equivalent to being around 11 years younger.
3. Source of Vitamin K
Vitamin K is extremely important for our body in terms of blood clotting. It also helps in building strong bones and keeping the blood vessels healthy. The body stores small amounts of Vitamin K from salad greens from the food we eat. A green salad on an average contains 100 micrograms of Vitamin K.
4. Prevents chronic diseases
Salad greens contain a unique compound that acts as antioxidants. Antioxidants in turn help in preventing several chronic diseases. Red lettuce especially is high in antioxidant properties.
How To Make Salads Greens Healthier?
1. Add protein
Adding lean protein to your green salad will help you in feeling full for a longer period of time. Therefore, adding eggs, fish, or any skinless poultry to your salad will help in extracting the most benefits. Vegetarians can add chickpeas, kidney or black beans to their salad. Additionally, dry fruits like walnuts and almonds also increase protein and add healthy fats to your every day diet.
2. Add other vegetables
Salad leaves are not the only veggies you can add to the salad. Raw carrots, cucumber, and roasted beets will add the perfect blend and taste to your green salad.
3. Dress your salad well
Adding healthy fats to the salad helps the body in absorbing the nutrients better. Adding two tablespoons of dressing to your salad will give a tastier and creamier texture to salad greens.
Leafy vegetables are a home of several illnesses. Therefore, it is suggested to handle the salad greens hygienically and safely. The below mentioned tips will come in handy if you intend to add greens to your salad.
- Store the vegetables in refrigerator
- Run cold water over the vegetables leaves and wash thoroughly
- Separate leaves to remove more dirt
- Do not use the vegetables after a week of purchase
3 astonishing serving of mixed greens salads recipes you should integrate into your eating routine
In the event that you are resolved to clean eating, having a plate of mixed greens can be a solid decision and an extraordinary choice. A sound eating routine can be hard for certain individuals to keep up with since they don’t eat an adequate number of foods grown from the ground. A day to day new plate of mixed greens can assist you with effectively consuming every one of the servings you require and can likewise energize a perfect eating way of life. Dim mixed greens and brilliant vegetables found in servings of mixed greens guarantee that you get various nutrients and minerals, helping you in keeping a solid body and psyche.
Furthermore, they are overflowing with cell reinforcements, which are urgent substances in the fight against free revolutionaries that could cause disease. Keep most of the fixings in their crude state however much as could reasonably be expected to receive the best rewards. These are the most powerful with regards to making a genuinely solid plate of mixed greens, in addition to they’re brimming with flavor and fulfilling crunch. Look at the three astonishing serving of mixed greens recipes you should attempt. (Additionally read: Make these scrumptious and solid recipes with oats )
1. Tasty tomato salad
(Recipe by IG-veganfoodcrazy)
Ingredients:
- 2 cup mixed chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- Optional Toppings: scallions & croutons
Dressing: - 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 – 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- Couple cracks fresh pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp pizza seasoning
- Bunch fresh oregano
Method:
-Whisk all together
-Pour over tomatoes & onion mixture
-Top with scallions and croutons
2. Chick pea salad
(Recipe by Instagram/veganbyeden)
Ingredients:
- Approx 50g leafy greens/salad mix
- 1/2 cup canned beetroot, drained
- 80g firm tofu, sliced
- 1/2 can chickpeas, drained
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp garlic chilli basil paste mix (from a jar)
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp bbq sauce
- Curry powder, paprika, black pepper
Method:
– Heat sesame oil in a pan on a low to medium heat. Add sliced tofu pieces to one side of the pan and the chickpeas to the other side.
– Drizzle soy sauce over the pan. Add the garlic chilli basil mix. Mix it through the chickpeas and flip tofu pieces to coat in soy sauce and garlic mix.
– Add the bbq sauce and spices. Cook for 6 to 7 mins, or until tofu is golden brown and the chickpeas are coated in the sauce which has thickened.
– Assemble greens, beetroot and top with the tofu slices and chickpeas.
3. Creamy pasta salad
(Recipe by IG/jos_kitchen)
Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 cups pasta, cooked al dente and cooled
- 1 small carrot, grated
- 1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 red capsicum, thinly sliced
- Fresh rocket, a couple of handfuls
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely sliced
- 250g bacon, cooked and diced
- 1/3 cup Greek yoghurt
- 1/3 mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup ranch salad dressing (can use more to suit taste) I used Oli & Vine Creamy Ranch
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Method:
– In a small bowl combine the yoghurt, mayonnaise, ranch salad dressing, oil, garlic and pepper. Whisk together well.
– Place pasta, carrot, tomatoes, rocket, capsicum, chives and pan fried bacon in a large serving bowl.
– Pour over the dressing and mix well.
– And there you have it, a quick and simple pasta salad recipe using ingredients most of us have on hand all the time.
The Pasta Switch Everyone Should Make Immediately
Americans love their pasta. In fact, one survey by the National Pasta Association found that 86% of participants reported eating pasta at least once a week. And some of us eat pasta two or three times a week. Because of how frequently we consume pasta, our obsession with spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, ravioli, and their cousins can be problematic when it comes to our blood sugar management—and that’s why you may want to switch out your pasta immediately.
Spaghetti has been nicknamed “string sugar.” A 1-cup serving of cooked spaghetti contains 46 grams of total carbohydrates, most of which are simple carbs that have been stripped of their fiber, resulting in a serving containing less than 3 grams of fiber. For context, one slice of white bread contains 14 grams of carbs and less than a gram of fiber, meaning that a cup of pasta is the equivalent of eating more than 3 slices of white bread.
Like white bread (and other foods largely devoid of dietary fiber like candy and sugar-sweetened beverages), you digest pasta carbs very quickly, causing a fast elevation of your blood sugar. That reaction triggers your body to release insulin, which works to drop your blood sugar, initiating a cycle of more carb cravings. (Do you recall wanting a second helping after eating grandmom’s famous spaghetti?) When the influx of sugar into your bloodstream outpaces insulin’s effectiveness at shuttling glucose into your muscles and tissues, you develop insulin resistance, which increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.Why you need to be concerned about your blood sugar levels and pasta intake
Here are some frightening statistics: 37.1 million American adults have diabetes and 96 million have prediabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Diabetes Statistics Report. What is more alarming is that 80% of people with prediabetes don’t know they have it. Prediabetes, a higher-than-normal blood sugar, often leads to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, a disorder with serious complications.
Those 133 million people account for nearly 53% of the total adult population (aged 18 years or older), meaning that 1 in 2 American adults is living with higher-than-normal blood sugar levels.
Whether you’re worried about diabetes or prediabetes, you should have your blood sugar checked and then take steps to reduce it. Changing your diet can help. Reducing your intake of sugars and simple carbohydrates is critical to managing blood sugar and one simple way to do that is to rethink your spaghetti.
If you are eating pasta made with refined flour several times a week in addition to consuming breads, cereals, sodas, crackers, and other sources of refined carbs, chances are good that your blood sugar may remain at an unhealthy high level.
But you can have your pasta and healthy blood sugar levels, too.
The pasta switch you need to make immediately is to switch to pasta that contains fiber from whole grains as well as reduce your consumption of added sugars and foods made with refined grains and add more whole grain foods to your diet. Making these diet changes may bring your blood sugar down to a healthy level.
RELATED: 50 Best Foods for DiabeticsSwitch to whole grains to lower your diabetes risk
Switching to a whole-grain pasta from refined pasta may help shut down your hunger pangs, according to a pilot study of whole-grain pasta’s effect on appetite. The study found that participants reported feeling significantly more full and satisfied after eating a serving of whole grain pasta and also burned more calories after eating as compared to eating the same serving of refined grain pasta.
Adding more whole grain fiber to your daily diet may give you even better results, according to a review of observational studies, clinical trials, and meta-analyses published in the journal Nutrients in 2018. The researchers in that study concluded that people who eat an average of two to three daily servings, or 60 to 90 grams, of whole grains have a 21 to 32% reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes than people who rarely or never eat whole grains.
In a similar examination of three large studies involving 158,259 women and 36,525 men published in 2020 in The BMJ, researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that higher consumption of whole grains was significantly associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
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Where to find fiber in pasta
Read nutrition labels of offerings in the pasta aisle of your supermarket. Look for pasta that packs at least 4 grams of fiber. Also, look for high protein since protein, like fiber, slows digestion, reducing the pasta’s carbohydrate impact on your blood sugar, says Eatthis.com medical review board member and registered dietitian Amy Goodson, MS, RD.
One top-notch product she recommends is Barilla Protein + Pasta. Made with whole grain flours like semolina, duram wheat, barley, and spelt, along with lentil and chickpea flours, plus pea protein, this pasta delivers 4 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein per serving. “Bonus: Two of the four grams of fiber are soluble fiber, which is known to help lower bad and total cholesterol,” says Goodson. 6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
Another healthy pasta Goodson recommends is Banza Pasta, made from chickpea flour. Banza packs more protein and fiber than your average pasta—11 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per serving. “To help flatten the blood sugar curve even more, add a lean protein to your pasta dish,” says Goodson.
This pasta switch from refined pasta to high-fiber or high-protein pasta may help you manage blood sugar levels and keep your health in check.
Jeff CsatariJeff Csatari, a contributing writer for Eat This, Not That!, is responsible for editing Galvanized Media books and magazines and for advising journalism students through the Zinczenko New Media Center at Moravian University in Bethlehem, PA. Read more about Jeff
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